Family Support

For the majority of my childhood I had my heart set on being a professional football player. My dad was always the one who helped me with my sports, particularly football. Whether it was sacrificing his time to work on my skills in the backyard or teaching me a valuable lesson after a hard practice, he was the one. My mom was there for my moral support because she didn’t always understand the adversity that came with playing sports. My mom played an important part in giving me all of the off-the-field guidance with sports. I feel guilty now that I look back because I simply didn’t show enough appreciation to my two parents who provided me with everything I ever needed growing up. When I was younger I came to assume every kid’s parents did these kinds of things for them. It was somewhat of shock to me when I found out that this was not the case. However, it made me appreciate what they did for me much more.

Because of my loving and supportive parents, I believe that strong family support is very important in a person’s life. This can include extended family, immediate family, and close friends. I have always had a great family supporting me in everything I did. Ever since I was a little kid I was always told that I could be whatever I wanted to be as long as I worked hard enough. WIth the support and encouragement of family the options for success are unlimited.

When I was in ninth grade my father passed away. This was a major devastation to our family. We had no choice but to rally behind one another to get through this tough time. I have two younger brothers, and I knew that from then on they would be looking to me for the same things that my father provided for me. Surprisingly I didn’t feel as much weight put on my shoulders as I expected. This is because of the overwhelming support we received from all my extended family as well as friends of our family, who are close enough to be considered family. We have always been very close with all of my aunts and uncles, so as soon as they heard about the news each one of them came from a different part of the country to be there for us. We received much needed psychological support from all of them. I thoroughly believe that without the help of my family and friends I could not have made it through such a difficult time.

Along with having such a supportive immediate family, I have also had an amazing extended family. Each one of them takes time out of their busy schedules to spend individual time with me as much as possible. They always would try to take me out and do special things for me, while at the same time trying to teach me life lessons. If it weren’t for my extended family I would not be at this college today.

My close friends, whom I consider a part of my family, have also made an impact on me. They have played a major role in my life, and I consider them to be very close to me. I mentioned before how my friends helped me through the tough time with my dad. They played the biggest role in the years to come after the passing of my father. When my extended family had to leave to return to their homes, it was my friends who helped me with the everyday struggles of not having a father around. My two younger brothers were also very active in sports, so it would have been close to impossible for my mom to keep up with all of our schedules, while trying to maintain a full time job. That’s where my friends came in. They made sure I never missed a practice and always had a place to eat dinner if my mom had to work late. My mom’s job required her to travel a lot. When she would leave for days at a time, my friends would let me and my brothers stay at their homes and they would cook meals for us. Without the help of my friends I would not have survived through the rough high school years.

Last but not least, and by far my biggest supporter of all, is my mother. I can’t say enough about my mom. She has been nothing short of a superhero. It is an understatement to say that I would not be where I am today without all of her help. I appreciate everything she has done no matter how little or how big it was. She has been my cook, my chauffeur and my coach just to name a few. I love her very much and I will never forget all that she has done for me.

Every person should be able to have an encouraging, compassionate, and entertaining family like mine. I wouldn’t trade the help and support I received from my family for anything. I love each and every one of them, and I hope that one day I can repay them for all that they have done for me. I believe that with strong family support, anyone can do anything they set their mind to, maybe even be a professional football player.

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Growing up in the former Yugoslavia, lawyer Djenita Pasic enjoyed the peace of her religiously diverse country. But after the fall of communism and the outbreak of the Bosnian War, Pasic was forced to reevaluate her ideas about religion and tolerance. Click here to read her essay.